A sign at the City of Medicine Hat transit services advertises public facilities. A city committee will hear a report later this month about plans to provide public washrooms in the downtown core.--News Photo Collin Gallant
cgallant@medicinehatnews.com@CollinGallant
City Hall is studying a potential public washroom strategy for the downtown, potentially keying on operational changes in public buildings to provide the service to an “under-housed” population.
That was revealed at Monday’s meeting of the public services committee, where early on, public library officials said they are considering hiring security guards to monitor men’s and ladies’ rooms just inside their main entrance on First Street SE.
Administrators, who already have an approved plan to add a publicly accessible washroom to Towne Square this year, will provide an overview of the problem at a June 26 committee meeting.
“More (physical) washrooms is part of the issue, but is it the most important part of the issue,” city manager Ann Mitchell inquired in a conversation with the News.
Two years ago some business owners and councillors reacted strongly after a washroom was left out of plans to repave and redevelop the parking lot at 603 First St. amidst rising costs on the mostly grant-funded work to create event space.
The city has already approved $540,000 to add a permanent public washroom at the Towne Square in this year’s budget.
Many business owners have said they turn down requests to use washrooms fearing damage, strange behaviour or drug use would follow. But denying access to a toilet moves the problem to back alleys or secluded stoops.
Medicine Hat Public Library officials presented their annual report for 2022 earlier in the meetings, and said they consider it a growing but complex issue.
During an earlier presentation Monday, chief librarian Ken Feser said the main floor washrooms are the only ones readily available to the children’s library, but it is also used by transient population because it is just inside the front doors.
“It’s a friction point and we need to do something about it,” said Feser. “Short term, we’re monitoring the situation constantly … we’re planning to address it.”
Board officials also pointed to growing stress at the facility and the hope to balance the needs of all users.
At the same time, there have been “multiple” drug overdoses in the washroom.
“We have a significant under-housed population, and those individuals thankfully feel very welcome at the library, and they are very welcome, but there are behavioural challenges,” said board chair Rebecca Harper.
“How do we keep the library a place where everyone feels welcome? Families are a big part of our audience, as well as some of those people who are causing disorder.
“We don’t have security guards in our library, or funding to bring them in. They may not be the final answer, but we think they would help.”
Within the presentation, library officials said they would likely require a funding increase in 2024 to address the situation and other problems.
